Interview with Wang Shihua

Wang Shihua (b. 1926) is a resident of Shaziying Village, Yang Town, Shunyi District, Beijing. In this interview, Wang recalls the life after 1949. After being demobilized from the army in 1954, Wang worked as the leader and then the secretary of the production team. He explains the operation of and differences between elementary and advanced agricultural producers' cooperatives and people's commune. To join the cooperatives, people had to pay a certain amount of money. If one did not have enough money, while poor and lower-middle peasants could borrow money from the credit union with zero interest rate, rich peasants and landlords had to pay the interest. Because of its reed field, Shaziying Village did not suffer as much as others during the Great Famine. Many girls made mats with reeds for extra money. No one starved to death but several old people died of constipation.

王士华1926年出生，是北京市顺义区杨镇沙子营村民。在这段口述中，王老人讲述了建国以后的生活。王老人1954年当兵回来以后当大队长，后来当了书记。王老人解释了初级社、高级社、人民公社的区分和运作。当时入社得花钱，贫下中农入社钱不够，就由信用社无息贷款，但富农、地主贷款就得花利息。大饥荒时期沙子营比别的村强的地方在于村里产苇子，好多女孩子都靠编席赚钱。当时村里饿死的没有，但有老人因为上火便秘去世。

Transcripts for this interview and more may be available under the ‘Documents’ link above. 采访抄录和相关内容，请点击查看上面的’Documents’链接。